Population change, racial settlement patterns, and the newest southern electorate

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recent scholarship on the American South emphasizes how changing settlement patterns affect party politics. Specifically, places with high population growth are shifting toward the Democratic Party whereas localities shedding residents favor Republicans. This insight is important but also in need of empirical refinement. In this study, we examine settlement patterns and changes in the racial composition of the southern electorate at three different units of analysis: states, counties, and individuals with an original survey of respondents residing in the South. We include place-specific variables indicating where respondents grew up and where they currently live to gain a more accurate picture of how settlement patterns are altering the southern electorate.